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There
is
disquiet
between
fishermen
and
fishmongers
at
Abuesi,
a
fishing
community
in
the
Shama
District
of
the
Western
Region
as
the
fish
mongers
bare
their
teeth
at
what
they
describe
as
being
sidelined
in
the
distribution
of
food
supplies
from
the
Fisheries
Ministry
meant
to
sustain
fisherfolk
during
the
closed
sea.
A
symbolic
closure
of
the
sea
in
Ghana
was
held
at
Upper
Dixcove
in
the
Ahanta
West
Municipality
of
the
Western
Region
on
July
1
by
the
Minister
for
Fisheries
and
Aquaculture
Development,
Mavis
Hawa
Koomson.
The
supplies
include
bags
of
rice,
cooking
oil
and
tin
fish.
As
has
been
her
tradition,
the
Minister
began
distributing
food
supplies
along
the
coastal
communities
to
the
fishers
to
help
sustain
them
during
this
period.
It
is
the
supply
to
Abuesi
in
the
Shama
District
that
is
on
the
verge
of
dividing
the
community.
Whilst
the
chief
fisherman,
Nana
Konduah
V
insists
that
this
initial
supply
is
meant
for
only
the
fishermen,
the
women
are
demanding
to
be
included
since
they
all
depend
on
the
sea
for
sustenance.
Chanting
war
songs,
the
women
mobilized
themselves
at
the
Chief
Fisherman’s
house
where
the
food
was
being
shared
among
the
men.
“They
are
sharing
the
rice
among
the
men.
The
men
at
the
beach
are
90
and
the
total
bags
of
rice
they
received
was
around
200.
They
need
to
include
those
of
us
who
smoke
fish
at
the
beach,
so
we
can
also
feed
our
children.“
“I
find
it
difficult
to
understand
how
some
are
receiving
rice
to
the
detriment
of
others
when
the
closure
of
the
sea
has
rendered
all
of
us
unemployed
for
the
month.
I
am
a
widow
with
children.
Only
God
will
sustain
us.
Why
should
only
the
men
receive
food?”
“We
can’t
understand
this.
We
will
demonstrate
in
protest”,
they
protested
one
after
the
other.
Meanwhile,
the
Chief
Fisherman
is
calling
on
the
sector
minister
to
expedite
action
in
catering
to
the
women
to
ensure
peace
prevails.
“The
pressure
is
too
much,
as
you
can
see.
I
will
plead
with
the
minister
(Mavis
Hawa
Koomson)
to
quickly
send
the
share
for
the
women
as
she
does
every
year,
so
that
there
will
be
peace”.
“In
fact,
the
complaints
are
too
much,
the
pressure
is
too
much
and
the
food
that
they
brought,
I
can’t
give
them
because
the
canoes
are
quite
a
lot,
so
I
am
pleading
with
the
Minister
to
come
to
the
aid
of
the
women
as
she
has
been
doing,“
he
said.